There's a new dynamic to the debate over marijuana prohibition. Patrick Kennedy and Kevin Sabet recently launched Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) in response to the growing debate over legalizing marijuana. They claim to take a third approach in marijuana policy, supporting neither the drug war status quo nor legalization. They want the government to screen marijuana users and put them in treatment if necessary, and they are against legal regulations and sales. Their position seems indistinguishable from supporting drug courts. David Frum, journalist and former George Bush speech writer sits on the board of Project SAM and recently wrote a CNN piece on why marijuana should remain illegal.
Frum’s argument is nothing less than fascinating. Unlike traditional opposition to marijuana legalization, Frum does not claim that marijuana use is inherently harmful. He acknowledges that most marijuana use is not problematic and most marijuana users are not dependent. He has the balanced view that the risks are limited to its effects on a developing brain and if the user is predisposed to certain mental illnesses. This is refreshing for a prohibitionist, and makes his argument the most interesting justification of prohibition in recent history.
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